Alan Terence Kawarai Lefor, MD, MPH, PhD, DrEng, FACS

September 19th, 1956 - July 21st, 2023

Memorial

Mementos

Alan Terence Kawarai Lefor, 66, of Tochigi, Japan, passed away on July 21, 2023, after a long illness.

Alan was born on September 19, 1956 to Rita and Frank Lefor in Queens, NY. He was raised in Rochester, NY, which he considered his hometown. After graduating from Brighton High School (BHS) in 1973, Alan went on to earn a BS degree at SUNY Albany, MA at Wesleyan University, MD at SUNY Upstate Medical University, MPH at UCLA, PhD in theoretical astrophysics at Tohoku University, and DrEng at the University of Tokyo.

Alan had many professional interests, but—first and foremost—he was an academic general surgeon specializing in surgical oncology. He was a prolific writer, authoring several hundred academic articles in peer-reviewed journals and several academic book chapters. His hobbies included traveling, ham radio, genealogy, and computer programming.

He is survived by his wife, Chieko; son, Maarten (Jackie); brother, John (Wendy Bensussen); sister Eve Rutzen (Doug); Aunt Helen; and nephews and nieces: Ben (Ashley), Meghan Lefor (Doupere Tambou), Lauren Rutzen, and Nina Rutzen. Alan was predeceased by his parents, Frank and Rita, and his Uncle Arnold.

Memorial donations may be made to the Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Foundation (http://netrf.org/) or a charity of your choice.

Tributes

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Jeff Rubens

Sorry to read this news. I'm a couple of years younger than Alan but I grew up in the late 60s and early 70s about 5 houses away from his and then we lost touch. Forgive me while I briefly reminisce about childhood years. The Lefor Family had an interesting car with a pushbutton transmission, and incredible (to me), a little work area (like a well-organized shop class in middle or high school) in their basement with all the tools in their place on a pegboard wall, with a vice or two on a table. This was fascinating to me as I grew up in a household where repairs were always handled by calling in a repairman on the phone. Alan showed me some of his skills with tools. Maybe this was the beginning of Alan's successful surgical career? Alan was among the brightest people I knew. Even in early years, Alan was very engaging to talk with...on a wide range of subjects...and he knew he was very smart and sometimes he'd let you know it. I still remember back in the early 1970s, the one and only time I won an argument with him (I was explaining how the OTC markets operated quite differently than the NYSE and he insisted, quite vociferously, that I was incorrect). He investigated my claims and came to me a day or two later and told me that his dad said that I was right. He never needed to admit he was wrong, but when he did, I realized that he was not just unusually intelligent but also a very good human being. I'm sad that I lost touch with him for the last 50 (really) years. I am sure he will be missed by those who had the good fortune to be around him throughout his very accomplished adult life. My belated sympathies to his family.

Published August 5th, 2024

Merrit

Sheila, so sorry for your and Maarten's loss. Alan had his issues but no one would deny his brilliance. It is good the hear that Maarten got married recently. Hopefully that relationship brings both of you joy! Merrit and Teny

Published July 25th, 2023